Guide means for sliding doors



oct. 26,1926.

` E. B; SMITH GUIDE MEANS FOR SLIDING DOORS 4 2 sheetssheet 1 Filed Jun 5, 1924 INVENTOR EzRA SM/TH oct. 2e ,1926. 1,604,368

V E.B.SMWH

GUIDE MEANS FOR SLIDING DOORS Filled June 5. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W -L-a "www ATToRNEYf Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

PATENT UFFCE.

EZRA IB. SMITH, OIE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TI-AIE J. G. WILSON CORPORA- TION, F NEW" YORK, QN. Y., A CORPORATION 0F VIRGINIA.

GUIDE MEANS FOR SLIIBING DOORS.

Application filed June 5,

rl`his invention relates to sliding doors and particularly to that type of door which is adapted to be moved by a simultaneous sliding and rotating motion into an open position which is substantially at right angles to its closed position.

Such doors, sometimes called disappearing doors, are particularly useful in connection with structures where is it desirable that the door may be moved to a position along the side of the structure through a minimum amount of space: For example, such doors are exceedingly well adapted for use in wardrobes, booths, washrooms, and similar enclosures and also in garages and like structures in which an 'economical use of the space inside the enclosure is often essential, and which, moreover, are frequently so situated that it is desirable that the doors project outwardly a minimum distance during their movement. In the case of wardrobes, for instance, and other structures inside of buildings, doors which project much beyond the face of the wardrobe are likely to obstruct the passageway on which the wardrobe faces and when suoli structures are used in publie buildings such a projection across a passageway is not only a source of great inconvenience but increases the lire hazard. In the case of structures placed in the open air, the further the doors project outwardly the greater will be the likelihood that the wind will retard their movement oi' strain their attachments and the greater the interference to their movement from snow and ice.

An objection to the general use of doors which may be simultaneously slid and rotated to a position alongside of the structure, however, has been that the mounting and guiding means therefor, heretofore known and of such a nature that there is a tendency for the doors equipped therewith to sway or to stick during their movement. It is import-ant that the movement of such doors be easy, smooth and substantially frictionless, that the doors be stabilized during such movement, and that the means for stabilizing the doors be sturdy,rand that it be smooth and noiseless in operation, and that its operation will not retard or obstruct the movement of the door.

An important object of this invention is, therefore, to provide sturdy guide means 1924. Serial N0. 717,954.

which will operate to guide a door from a closed position to an open position substantially at right angles thereto in a steady, smooth, easy, and substantially frictionless manner.

Another important object of the invention is to provide stabilizing means in connection with said guide means whereby any swaying or oscillating movement of the door may be effectively prevented without impairing the freedom of the opening or closing movements of the door.

It is another object of the invention to provide means in connection with such stabilizing means by which the noise of operation will be reduced to a minimum.

In order that a door of this type may be moved in an easy and frictionless manner and that the stabilizing means operate correctly, it is necessary properly to adjust the relative vertical positions of the door and its guide tracks and it is also desirable that such adjustments may be readily made from time to time to allow for sagging 0f the door or its associated parts. It is, therefore, another object of the invention to provide means whereby the relative vertical positions .of the door and its guide tracks may be readily adjusted.

In connection with doors which are simultaneously slid and rotated in the manner described, it is sometimes desirable to provide a bottom guide for the door consisting of a groove in the floor over which the door moves and a stud projecting from the door into the groove. This arrangement, however, yis likely to prove unsatisfactory because of a tendency for dirt to collect in the groove and to obstruct the movement of the door, often effectively preventing the movement of the door as the stud approaches.

the end of the groeve. Another object of the invention is to provide a lower guide means of this type which will be self-cleaning.

Other objects of the invention, together with the important features thereof, will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention as embodied in connection with a pair of slidable doors normally closing the face of the wardrobe. It should be understood however that the invention is by no means limited t0 such an embodiment, but is adapted tor use on doors, windows, or the like having a movement of the type outlined above and used in connection with a structure of any sort.

ln the drawings, Fig. 1 is a `front view orp a wardrobe having doors yequipped with guiding and stabilizing means embodying the features ot the invent-ion;

Fig. 2 is a section through the line 2 2 in Fig. 1, illustrating particularly the means for slidably and rotatably supporting the door and the means tor guiding one edO'e ot the door and for sgabilizing the door aajustably.

Fig. 3 is a section through the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, illustrating particularly the groove whereby the bottom of the door is guided;

i is a side view ot one of the doors showing in detail the supporting means and the lower guide means therefor;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the supporting means; y

Fig. 6 is a top View, partly in section, showing in detail the guiding and stabilizing device;

F 7 is a front view of this device from line 7 7 in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is an end view thereof 'from the line 8 8 in Fig. G.

The drawings show a wardrobe closed by a pair ot doors equipped with supporting, guiding, and stabilizing means which cooperate to control the movement ot the doors so that they can be slid with an easy, steady motion from their closed position across the ront of the wardrobe to an open position along the sides thereof. The dotted lines in Fig. 2 indicate the maximum extent outwardly and inwardly ot the path of movement of the door 20. The dotted lines in Fig. 3 indicate a position ot the door 2O intermediate its open and closed positions showing how it extends between the lintel and the threshold ot the doorway. This showing, taken in connection with the following description, will make clear the desirability of providing the door with a stabilizer which is certain and sure inoperation and which will, besides its other functions revent the door from sticking against the intel or the threshold. These doors, moreover, require for their movementa minimum amount of unobstructed space inside and out-` side ot the wardrobe.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a wardrobe 10 comprising a base 12, sides 13 and 11i and a top 16. r1`he front of the wardrobe is open to form a doorway which a pair of doors 19 and E2() are adapted to close. In the wartrobe there may be provided one or more shelves 21, hooks 22, umbrella racks 23, drip pans 24 and other necessary or desirable holders for clothes or other articles. These may extend throughout the greater part ot the space inside the wardrobe because of the small amount of space required for the movement oi the doors.

1n the particular embodiment ot the invention shown in the drawings the door 19 is supported on a track 25 running obliqueiy from the lintel 2G ot the doorway to an inward position near the top ot the side 13 oi the wardrobe by means` ot a hanger 2S comprising preferably a roller bearing sheave 30 turning on a shatt 31 held by the sides ot a saddle 32 extending` under the track. The saddle 32 is rotatably mounted on an attachment on the door by means ot a threaded pin 34. extending through an opening in lug 35 on the attachment. A pair ot nuts 3G are provided on pin 311 whereby the height ot thc door may be adjusted and the door locked in its adjusted position.

A guide track l0 is attached to the side 13 near its vertical center and is set outwardly therefrom by a spacing member ll1 which may be biased slightly in the manner shown, so as to permit the door to bear against the inside of its jamb when closed and yet to be in a position substantially perpendicular to its doorway when opened. rlhis track, in the embodiment shown, made vertically adjustable upon a spacing member 4:1 by the provision therein ot thc vertical slots -12 in which are inserted screws 43 to hold it in place. ln order to guide the outward edge 19 ot' the door 19 along track Zi() so as to cause the rotation oi" the door as its hanger slides along track 25 and so as to stabilize the door to prevent it from swaying on its hanger and to prevent any vertical movement ot either edge ot the door such as would tend to interfere with its sn'iooth operation, there is provided a guiding and stabilizing means movable along track ilO which in the en'ibodin'ient shown comprises a 'plate all ahiircd near the vertical center ot the edge 19 ot the door, and a plate 4:5 which is hinged to plate Llst and on which are iixedly mounted a pair ot shatts i6 extending over track 4.0 and a pair ot shafts extending under track d0. @n each ot' shafts /lt is a sheave i3 adapted to roll along the top ot track i0 and ou each of shafts i7 is a sheave 419 adapted to roll along the bottom ot the track. As the shaft o'j each of these 'tour sheaves is securely Ylistened to plate and as two oit these sheaves are setagainst either side ot the track L10, it will be seen that there is provided a stal'iilizing means which will effectively prevent any swaying of the door, and yet will in no way oppose or retard the opening and closing movements thereot even it pressure is applied thereto tending to causo a vertical movement ot either ot its edges. In other words, such vertical movement is effectively prevented by this stabilizing means withoutobstructing the normal operation et the door. For example, it someone hangs on or leans against the door `.while opening or closing it, the stabilizing device will prevent the door from being swayed so as to stick against any adjacent members, such as the threshold or .the lintel of the doorway, and will at the same time permit a ree opening or closing movement. It is sometimes desirable to provide means to prevent rattling ot the stabilizing means. Such an anti-rattling means is shown in the drawing, and consists ot a spring 53 spiralled about the pin 54 o'l the hinge joining plates 44 and 45 and extending along the inner surfaces et these plates so as to tend to spread them apart, thus causing the inner flanges of the sheaves to bear iirmly against track 4() at all times.

ln order to insure a smooth and steady operation ot the door, it is well to provide a guide. means for the bottom thereof. ln the drawing this means is shown as a groove in the base l2 ot the wardrobe, in which groove moves a stud 58 which is attached by iiieans ot a bracket 59 to the bottom ot the door l). ln order that dust and dirt collected bv the groove may not obstruct the movement ot the door the groove is extended to the e\ s ot the base so that the movement ot the stl. d 5S along the groove will tend to push out ot its open ends any dust or dirt collected by the groove. ln case the lloor over which the door moves and in which the groove is placed extends a long` distance out fiardly 'from tlie'position through which the door moves, or in case the sides 13 are unusually thick, means consisting ot two or more holes bored through the floor trom groove 55 may be provided in order that the groove may be cleaned by the movement ot the stud 58 therein.

'lhe supporting, guiding, land stabilizing means used in connection with door 20 are similar to those used in connection with door 19 and have been indicated in the drawings by similar reference numerals.

For the sake of convenience, the term door is used herein to include any member which may be slid Lfrom a position in which it closes or partially closes an opening, to another position substantially perpendicular thereto by the aid of supporting, guiding, and stabilizing means such as contemplated by this invention.

The invention, moreover, is in no way restricted to the particular embodiment thereot shown, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

l. A structure having a doorway, a door mounted `for combined sliding and swinging movement, a track for guiding the door across the doorway, a hanger for supporting the door at its upper edge slidably mounted on the track, a pivot for the door carried by said hanger and slidable with the door, a second pivot for the door arranged at the base thereof and in substantially vertical alignment with said iirst pivot and slidable with the door, means for guiding said last pivot, and means 1for guiding a part ot the door at one side ot its pivotal point in a direction transverse to the plane ot the doorway.

2. A structure provided with a doorway and side walls extending rearwardly theretrom, a amb at one side of said doorway, a door mounted for combined sliding` and swinging movement between a. position across the doorway and inside the jamb and a position alo-ngside a side wall, means for guiding a point in the door in a direction across the doorway, means for guiding a side marginal portion of the door in a direction transverse to the plane o'l the doorway comprising track engaging means attached to said side marginal portion of the door, and a track tor guiding said track engaging means located along a side wall and inclined outwardly away from said wall in a direction from the front toward the rear oit said wall to cause the door to close within the jamb and to locate the door substantially parallel with the side wall when open.

3. A structure provided with a doorway, a door mounted for combined sliding and swinging movement trom a position across the doorway to a position substantially perpendicular to the plane of the doorway, pivots for the door slidable with the door and arranged in substantially vertical alignment, parallel tracks for guiding the upper and lower margins of the door, and means tor guiding a side margin of the door.

4. A structure provided with a door and side walls extending rearwardly therefrom, a door mount-ed for combined slidingl and swinging movement between a position across the doorway and a position alongside a side wall, means tor guiding the door in a direction across the doorway, means for guiding a side marginal portion of the door in a direction transverse to the doorway,

comprising track engaging means attached to said sid-e marginal portion of the door,

a track engaged by said track engaging means, located along a side wall and inclined outwardly from said wall in a direction from the front toward the rear of said wall to cause the door to close into a positio-n with its side margin relatively close to the side wall and to be located substantially parallel with the side wall when open.

Signed at New York city this 3rd day of' June, 1924.

EZRA B. SMITH. 

